L.A. Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant appeared to use a homophobic slur while cursing out an NBA ref last night, and a gay rights group is justifiably livid.

In the third quarter of L.A.'s matchup with the Spurs, Kobe got a technical foul. Clearly upset, he appeared to call Bennie Adams a "F**king f**got."

The Lakers say they can't confirm what was said, but it looks obvious. An announcer even said, "You might wanna take the cameras off of him" ...

In the wake of this incident, the Human Rights Campaign called it "a disgrace for Kobe Bryant to use such horribly offensive and distasteful language."

Even worse, the group said in condemning Kobe - "a person with such fame and influence" - was that he did this with millions of people watching:

"Such language not only offends millions of LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] people around the world, but also perpetuates a culture of discrimination and hate that all of us, most notably Mr. Bryant, should be working to eradicate."